"Whether procedures and drugs are covered or not depends in a large part on the body of medical literature and recommendations by professional organizations," she writes. "There is not one study that shows the benefit of robotic hysterectomy over a traditional laparoscopic approach. Since the doctors and hospitals that push robotic hysterectomies don’t have the ethics to police themselves, insurance companies must step in and stop the madness."

I tend to agree, as I wrote previously in a column. The only way to stop the spread of unproven medical technology is to stop paying for it.

"Two of the main reasons the advocates give are to reduce student debt and lengthen the useful practice careers (by one year!) of doctors. The latter, they write, would improve the doctor shortage. But really, if the problem is student debt, there are many direct ways to address that. Likewise, if one thinks we need more doctors, then train more."

With the proliferation of non-physician practitioners like physician assistants and nurse practitioners, health provider training is already fragmented. Adding 3-year medical doctors only adds to that. And it won't nearly address the provider shortage fast enough.

Don't change the length of education for doctors. To solve the provider shortage, spend time making primary care more palatable for them instead.

Kevin Pho MD is the founder of KevinMD.com, the web’s leading destination for provocative physician commentary on breaking medical news. Klout named KevinMD.com the web’s top social media influencer in health care and medicine. The Wall Street Journal called KevinMD.com a “punchy, prolific blog that chronicles America’s often dysfunctional health care system through the prism of a primary care provider,” while others have noted that “a lively comment stream on one of Kevin Pho’s posts provides more insight on the day-to-day realities of health care than any piece of journalism can ever hope to impart.” Kevin received his medical degree and completed residency at Boston University School of Medicine and is a member of the 2010 class of New Hampshire’s 40 Under Forty, recognizing the state’s emerging leaders. He is board certified in internal medicine and practices primary care in Nashua, New Hampshire.

This survey is a poll of those who choose to participate and are, therefore, not valid statistical samples, but rather a snapshot of what your colleagues are thinking.

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